Does Wayfair's "No Commercial Warranty" label mean they are selling furniture with no warranty at all?

Does Wayfair's "No Commercial Warranty" label mean they are selling furniture with no warranty at all?

Customer Question

What does “NO commercial warranty” mean on the Wayfair website? Does this mean that the consumer has NO warranty protection whatsoever on such a piece of furniture if that furniture fails/has a defect during the first year? Do I need to purchase the expensive 5 year protection plan that Wayfair offers?

The "No Commercial Warranty"  does not provide any less protection than what you received prior to that label being added.

  • What is new is that Wayfair (and other furniture retailers) are beginning to clearly notify their customers that warranty disclaimers exist.
  • This is intended to discourage future warranty claims and put additional pressure to purchase an expensive Extended warranty (Protection Plan.)

Wayfair (and other large furniture retailers) are very aware of the potential  high costs that occur each time they need to service furniture under warranty.


There are two major reasons for this:

  • It reduces customer service costs. The vast majority of warranty claims are denied, including almost all of those made directly to the manufacturers.

      Warranty disclaimers, like the one you have noted, greatly reduce the costs of responding to those warranty claims.

      This is actually not new. Wayfair and most major furniture retailers have always included broad warranty disclaimers, buried deep in the Terms and Conditions that nobody reads all the way to the end. 

  • It forces more customers into purchasing highly profitable Extended warranties (Protection Plans)

Extended warranties achieve two important goals (for the retailer):

  • It relieves the retailer from the responsibility (and costs) of servicing damaged or defective products in the customer’s home.
  • It is a major source of revenue. The 3rd party insurance company that takes over responsibility for servicing pays the retailer about 1/3 of the amount you have paid for the extended warranty – for doing almost nothing.

Retailers used to take responsibility for problems with their furniture for 1 year before the expended warranty (Protection Plan) kicked in. As you noticed, that period is now reduced to 30 days.

The good news is that most of the serious problems, that will be covered under warranty, will become obvious within those first 30 days.

  • Extended warranties do not make it any easier to protect against future problems with your furniture. The 3rd party companies, responsible for servicing extended warranties, need to make a profit on 2/3 of what you have paid.
  • As a result, there will be numerous exclusionary clauses. These exclusions typically include the majority of t likely problems you are most likely to experience.

Common exclusions include liability for:

  • Fabric problems (including peeling or flaking bonded leather.)
  • Seat cushions that have lost their resiliency and comfort.
  • Furniture that has been cleaned or protected with commercial products not specifically approved by the retailer.

There will be dozens of other specific exclusions listed. Many of these may completely contradict the bold warranty protections promised at the top of the warranty document!

Below, I have printed the current Wayfair Disclaimer of Warranties clause listed near the bottom of Wayfair’s Terms and Conditions.

Wayfair Disclaimer of Warranties

Wayfair intends for the information and data contained in the Sites to be accurate and reliable but since the information and data have been compiled from a variety of sources, they are provided ‘AS IS’ and “AS AVAILABLE”. You expressly agree that your use of the Sites and any information contained therein is at your sole risk. Accordingly, to the extent permitted by applicable law, WAYFAIR EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ANY WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS THAT MAY ARISE FROM COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE OR USAGE OF TRADE. Some jurisdictions do not allow the disclaimer of warranties or conditions so such disclaimers may not apply to you.

There are additional paragraphs in the Terms and Conditions that further limit the consumer’s protections.

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